


Nothing Can Save Me Now

by Juliette_Silvers



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-23 00:21:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17069978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juliette_Silvers/pseuds/Juliette_Silvers
Summary: An introduction to the story and its characters.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An introduction to the story and its characters.

I wake up at 6:00 in the morning, knowing today was the day I would be free. Free from my mother, who thinks I should only interact with purebloods, who thinks I am not worthy of having the last name Black. The mother who beats me ten times a day. The mother who uses the Cruciatus curse on her own daughter. This the life of Scarlet Black.

I leave my bed and pick out my clothes for the day-a black button-up shirt and black jeans-and go have a shower. I wash my long red hair that's all the way to my knees with mint shampoo and conditioner. After being in there for a good half hour, my skin has started to prune, so I step out of the shower.

The air is filled with steam and the smell of mint as I dry off. I get dressed then start to do my hair. My hair is red, but not the bronze-red you would expect. It's a bit more...um...shocking than that. My long wavy hair is almost blood-red and is nothing like that of my family members, who all have jet black hair.

My hair is done up in twin fishtail braids as I leave the bathroom. I look at my grandfather clock, see it's already 6:25 and rush out of my room. I need to eat before my Mother comes down. Quickly but quietly, I make my way downstairs to get my breakfast. After nodding towards the house elf, Kreacher, he goes and gets me an apple and a piece of toast with grape jellyfish.

Thanking Kreacher, I head upstairs with the food. By the time I'm done eating it's already 6:45. Only 15 minutes before she wakes up. I let out a big sigh. I can't wait till 11 o'clock. The time that I will get on the Hogwarts Express and be brought to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The time I will actually be able to leave the manor and make friends

My daydreams keep drifting farther and farther away until I hear a knock on my door. I look at the time and see its 8:03 already. How long was I away? I hear the knock again. This time I answered.

"Who is it?" I call.

"Why do you even ask at this point, Lil' sis? You know who it is," a gruff voice answers.

I go and open the door. Standing there is my messy haired, grey-eyed brother. The great Sirius Orion Black. And my twin.

"Your only 17 minutes older," I say, sticking out my tongue at him. "Anyway, that's not the point. Come in, quick!" I grab his wrist and pull him in my room and close the door.

"Ow! Why do grip so tight? It's not like I'm going to run away in terror," he whisper-shouts. I glare at him and he stops almost automatically. Good. 

"What do you want Sirius? And hurry up on the answer. You need to take a shower," I snap, clearly still tired. 

"Okay, okay, bloody hell you're bossy this morning. I was just wondering if Mom was actually going to let you go. I mean, she never even lets you leave the manor, do you really think she's going to let you go to a school? People hardly even know you exist," he blabs out, his mouth running faster than his brain. 

"Well she already bought all my school stuff, and even if she doesn't want me to go, I don't think that she can stop me," I look at Sirius pleadingly with big grey eyes. "I can't stay here for the rest of my life. I just can't." 

"Don't worry sis, it'll be fine. I promise I won't let you-." 

"SIRIUS! SCARLET! COME DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!" I wince, not wanting to listen to the shrilly voice that had just screamed. 

Sirius and I both start to slowly make our way down the old creaky stairs. I'm not even trying to be quiet anymore. I look at my feet and match my pace with my brother's. 

When we reach the kitchen, I look up. My Mother is sitting there at one head of the table, my younger brother, Regulus, in the middle of the table.

"Good morning dears," she says in a sickly sweet voice. "Are you excited for today?"

I gulp. "Yes Mother," I answer trying to stay as quiet as possible.

"And how about you Sirius? Are you excited?" she asks.

"Yes, Mother. I can't wait," Sirius says, monotoned.

"Good. I suppose that you both know my expectations for you. You will get into the Slytherin house. You will only talk to purebloods and completely ignore all those filthy mudbloods and bloodtraitors and make our family proud. Do you both understand this?"

"Yes Mother," Sirius says because he knows by now to not disagree with our Mother's opinion.

"Scarlet?" Mother says, looking at me.

"No. I will not do that. I will not get in the Slytherin. I will talk to all students, not just purebloods. I will disgrace this family, not honour it. Do you understand this?" I say, taking a big risk. I know that because of those words I will be punished. But I couldn't care less.

"Yes," Mother says coolly. "I believe that I do. And I believe that you are about to be punished." She pulls out her wand and stands up from the table, taking a few steps towards me. I back away until I hit the wall. "Crucio!"

Pain shoots through my body like burning hot knives. My knees buckle, and I fall to the floor. God, it hurts so much! I'm blinded by the pain as she continues the curse on my body. My mind is screaming and I cover my ears, trying to make it stop. I finally cry out, tears streaming down my pain-contorted face. Satisfied by my state, Mother stops.

"I hope that next time you will understand to keep your mouth closed around me. Now, it's already 8:25; go pack up all your stuff and get ready for the train ride." Sirius and I just stand there, him having to hold me up after my punishment. Regulus was still sitting at the table as if we had never even come downstairs. That insolent little bastard. "Now!" Mother yells.

Sirius and I run out of the room, not wanting to be punished (again). Silently, he picks me up and carries me up the stairs. He drops me outside my room and then turns to leave.

"You need to learn to think before you speak, you know. One of these times you're going to get permanent damage. You and I both know it," he whispers, then starts walking down the hall and into his room.

I stand there, then turn around and pull the key to my room out of my pocket. I put the key in the doorknob, turn it, open the door, and walk inside, closing the door behind me.


	2. Boarding

It's 10:50! In ten minutes I'll be on the Hogwarts Express! Mother will apparate to the outside of Kings Cross Station with all of our stuff and then we will be free. I try to make sure to cover all my bruises and scars so people don't ask me any questions. I just hate it when people ask me questions.

"Scarlet!" Sirius calls from downstairs. "We're going now! Hurry up or she'll get mad!"

I quickly grab the book bag off my bed and start to leave my bedroom. At the doorway, I turn around. I know this will be the last time I'll see this room for a few years. I sigh, then turn and leave. Thumping down the stairs, I start to think of all the people that I'll meet and the friends I'll make. Friends! Honestly, I've never had any. Kinda hard when your family keeps your existence a secret.

I reach the door and take a deep breath. Freedom. I leave the manor and smile. Sirius and I share a look, then both grab one of Mother's hands. There's a loud pop and it feels like my entire body was melted and mixed in a bowl. Next thing I know is that we are standing outside of Kings Cross Station. Sirius and I let go of Mothers' hand and we grin at each other. Our trunks and pets were already in the parking lot on a trolley, thanks to the house elves. Then, without a word, our Mother was gone with another loud pop.

We look at each other and start to cheer. Sirius starts to push his trolley through the parking lot and I follow. Once we're inside we start to wonder how to get onto the platform. On the ticket, it says platform nine and three quarters.

"There's no such thing as platform nine and three quarters, is there?" I ask Sirius, rather confused.

"You never know, with the wizarding world, sis. The headmaster is kinda mad, after all. Anyway-."

"Look! There's no such thing as platform nine and three quarters. There's only nine and ten!" 

"I think you need to look, Scar. See, there are wizards going through the wall right now. All we have to do is follow what they're doing. Besides, if we don't hurry up, we'll miss the train."

"Wait, did you just tell me to run through a bloody wall?!?! Nuh uh, not going to happen."

"I'll give you ten galleons," Siri says, trying to convince me.

"If you put it that way... Fine, I'll do it," I say regretfully. I tried not to give in, but it didn't work.

I stop a few meters in front of the wall and take a deep breath. Gripping my trolley, I start to run towards the wall. Certain I'm gonna hit it I close my eyes, but the impact never comes. Opening my eyes I gasp. In front of me is a beautiful red steam engine train. It's almost the same colour as my hair. I laugh.

A few moments later, Sirius come through the wall behind me.

"Guess we better get our trunks on the train, eh?"

"Ya, I guess we should. I still can't believe I'm actually here..."

"Yeah, yeah I know. You finally get to leave the manor and go to school. I understand."

We start loading our trunks on the train. I let my raven out of her cage and put her on my shoulder. She caws and I get a few weird looks from some of the parents, but I shrug it off. We get on the train and I start to look for a compartment while Sirius goes to the bathroom. Typical. 

I start to walk down the aisle looking for a spot for Siri and I to sit. I'm looking into the compartments when someone turns around and runs into me. My raven starts to flap its wings and caw. The boy that ran into me is looking at my bird like it's gonna scratch his eyes out.

"Shhhhh. It's okay, Corvina, calm down. You're fine. You'll scare everyone," I whisper softly, calming her down. "Sorry about her, she gets spooked rather easily," I say to the boy that ran into me.

"No, my apology, I should have been watching where I was going. Anyway, I'm James, James Potter." The boy holds out his hand as a gesture of friendship, but I just stand there, looking at his hand. Do I shake it? "What are you waiting for? You're acting as if you've never shaken someone's hand before," the boy, James, says laughing.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry," I answer, shaking his hand. "My name's Scarlet B-."

"There you are. Why haven't you found a compartment yet?" Sirius says cutting me off. 

"Oh, sorry Sirius. I was looking but I had a little collision."

"You guys are looking for a compartment too?" James asks, butting in.

"Yeah, we are. Let's look for one together," Sirius says, throwing his arm over my shoulder.

The three of us start to walk down the aisle until we find an empty compartment. When we do, Sirius and James sit down on either side of the bench while I sit on the floor. My brother introduces himself to James while I play with Corvinas feathers. I feel eyes on me so I look up to see James staring at me curiously. I take this time to analyze James. 

He has messy brown hair that sticks up in every which way and hazel eyes behind a pair of round glasses. He would probably be 6 or 7 inches taller than me but that's not saying much, considering the fact that I was only 4.5ft. His mouth was put up in a smirk as he saw me looking at him. He was obviously cocky just like Sirius. God, how would I deal with both of them combined? 

Finished for with my analyses, I stand up and start to leave the compartment. 

"I'm going to meet some more people, okay Siri?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll just be in here. And don't call me Siri," he says, fake glaring.

I smile, then leave the compartment with Corvina. I pass a few compartments until I see one with some nice-looking girls around my age. Slowly, I open the door and peep inside, asking if I can sit there.

"Yes, of course," a girl with emerald green eyes and hair that's more of a bronzy red says, very politely. 

"Thanks. I'm Scarlet," I say, while, again, sitting on the compartment floor. 

"I'm Lily Evans. The blonde girl is Marlene McKinnon and the brunette is Alice Fortescue. We're all in our first year. It's nice to meet you. I hope we can be really good friends." 

"Yeah. Friends. I like the sound of that!" I say, excited. I did it. I made friends. I smile. On the inside and outside.

**Sirius' P.O.V.**

Scarlet gets up and starts towards the door.

"I'm going to meet some more people, okay Siri?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll just be in here. And don't call me Siri," I say, fake glaring. I see her smile as she leaves the compartment. 

"So," James says after she leaves, "are you guys dating or something? 'Cause there's no way you two are siblings. You look way too different. And where did you guys get all the scars on your necks and hands? And why did Scarlet have a raven instead of an owl?"

"Woah, slow down there pal. One, there is no way I would date her. She's too short. We're just really close family friends. Two, I don't want to talk about. And three, she likes ravens much more than owls. They're easier to tame, in her opinion," I explain quickly.

"Oh," James says. "Why don't you want to talk about it? I mean, it can't be that bad, can it? Even if it is, you should talk to one of the teachers at school about it."

"Let's just say that our parents are monsters. would use magic to cut us sometimes. It was terrible back home. But Scarlet had it much worse. I don't know how she's still sane..."

"What do you mean? How she's still sane?"

"Both of our parents were obsessed with dark magic. They saw nothing wrong with it. They're power crazy purebloods. You're a pureblood, right?" James nods. "Then you should know of the Unforgivable Curses. One of them, the torturing curse, could make people go insane if it's used on them enough times. And Scarlet had it used on her about once a week. I could be in my ro-" I catch myself, making sure it sounds like we live with different families since that's what I told James,"-in my house, and all the sudden I would hear her screaming in pain from her house. It was terrible just to listen to."

"Wow, it was that bad huh? Why aren't you two like your parents?"

"We didn't want to turn into monsters. That's all it is. Trust me, if you had-."

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" A plumped woman opens the door from outside with a trolley full of sweets.

"We'll take a few of everything. Especially Fizzing Whizzbees and Chocolate Frogs," James says, licking his lips. I laugh.

The lady gives us the sweets and James and I each pay. We start to dig in before she even leaves. We talk about Quidditch and pranking and food and the Hogwarts houses, or to sum it up: basically everything but our families. While we were having a very big argument about Quidditch teams and players, two other boys knock on the door.

"Excuse us, but can we sit here? Everywhere else is full," the first boy asks.

"Oh, yeah, sure. No problem," I answer, giving them a smirk.

They both enter the compartment and sit down. The first boy, who asked if they could sit here, had sandy brown hair with scars all across his face and neck. Wonder what happened to him. He was rather tall, a least an inch or two taller than me. His brown eyes were scanning the pages of a book he had in his bag.

The second boy had thin blond hair and rat-like teeth. He was short and pudgy, even shorter then Scarlet. Obviously, he was shy and didn't really have a place. James and I share a look and nod, ready to start a conversation.

"I'm James Potter."

"And I'm Sirius Black"

"What are your names?"

"Yeah, you kinda just came in and that was it."

"Oh. Sorry. I'm Remus Lupin, and this is Peter Pettigrew," the first boy says.

After that bit of tense awkwardness, we start to converse and end up pretty close friends. I like Hogwarts already. We find out that Remus is a halfblood and that Peter is muggle-born. They're both first years and want to be in Gryffindor. 

"Hi, I'm a prefect at Hogwarts. I just came to tell you that you should start to get your robes on. We will be arriving shortly," an older student dress in his Hogwarts robes says as he pokes his head in the compartment. We nod as he leaves.

"I guess we better get dressed. Don't want to have to rush to get ready, right?" Remus chuckles.

"Yeah, I guess we'd better," James answers.

 

**Scarlets P.O.V.**

"Yeah. Friends. I like the sound of that!" I say, excited. I did it. I made friends. I smile. On the inside and outside.

"So, Scarlet," the blonde girl Marlene questions, "is it your first year here too?"

"Um, yes. It is." I take my place on the compartment floor while they watch me.

"Did you know about the wizarding world before you got your letter?" Lily asks, bouncing with excitement. 

"Yeah... I'm a pureblood, but I really wish I wasn't..."

"Really? I feel like growing up in the magical world would be so amazing and cool. You would get to know all the different spells and creatures and be able to understand it all. I'm muggle-born, you see, so I'm still confused about how this all works. I have a best friend who is a halfblood, and he told me that I was a witch but that's all I really knew. I can't wait to-."

"Why are you sitting on the floor?" Alice, the brunette murmured. It was the first time I heard her speak.

"Well, um. Corvina doesn't really like other people so I sit down here. I guess I'm also used to sitting on the floor. I'm not really sure why, but it just feels safer."

"Corvina is a nice name," is all Alice replies.

"Yeah, it is. Is she a raven? I've never seen one up close. They are very beautiful but most people think they're omens of death. Absolutely ridiculous, in my opinion," says Lily, rambling again.

"Yeah, she is. A fan-tailed. They're usually found in Eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula but my cousins gave her to me when I was 6 as a gift," I explain. Before I was a disgrace.

"That's cool. Anyway, I'm going to look for my best friend, I haven't seen him in a while," Lily says, standing up and heading towards the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

"Alright," Marlene answers. "See ya in a bit."

"Bye Lily," I say, waving a dew.

The compartment door closes and the three of us sit in what I can't decide is a comfortable or awkward silence. I sit on the floor, twiddling my thumbs, trying to think of something to do. That's it! I'll get a closer look at my new friends. I look up, choosing to start with Marlene.

As Lily said, she has long blonde hair (not as long as mine!) that reaches around her elbow. Her deep blue almond-shaped eyes are flecked with little bits of green. I can tell by the way her eyes are slightly closed that she is relaxed, and almost about to fall asleep. I don't know how though. By the looks of things, she doesn't have bags under her eyes so she must get enough sleep. Oh well... Focusing on her other features, I see Marlene has fair skin, soft cheekbones, a few dusted freckles across her cheeks, plumped lips, and rather large smile lines. Nice to know that she smiles a lot. Finished studying Marlene, I moved on to Alice.

Alice's shiny cinnamon coloured hair is done up in a short bob with two violet bobby pins making an "X" on the left side. Soft brown eyes gaze out the compartment window with wide curiosity. Her eyes widen when she spies a bunch of deer prancing around in a meadow-like opening. I bet that's she's really nice once you get past her shyness. She's a lot like me. Her complexion is slightly tanned from the summer sun and there aren't any visible marks on her round face. Dimples come out as she smiles at another thing outside the window.

Done looking at my new friends, I pull out what, to most, looks like a mess of string, sticks, feathers, strips of fabric, and wire. To me though, it's so much more. It can be a puzzle, trying to unknot all of it and separate the materials. It's just something you can fiddle with to calm your nerves. It's a game where once it ends, you can reset in a different way and never get bored of. At least to me.

I start to work on untangling the mess when Lily returns. I look up and see that she has a black haired boy that I'm guessing is our age. This must be the best friend Lily was talking about.

My hands continue to work on the game while I greet the two of them. "Hey, Lily. Is this your best friend?"

"Yep. Everyone, this is my Severus Snape. He's the one who first told me that I was a witch." Lily smiles at her friend, Severus, as if to convince him to say hi.

"It's nice to meet ya!" Marlene exclaims, completely oblivious of how uncomfortable he is. "Marlene McKinnon." She extends her hand, but it only makes him more awkward.

"Anyways," Lily says, "we need to get our robes on. We were stopped by a prefect who told us we'd be arriving in a couple minutes."

"Alrighty then!" For some odd reason, Marlene is being super animated and nothing like how she was the past few hours.

"Let's go get changed Alice, Scarlet. We'll meet the two of you back here in a few minutes."

Next thing I know, I'm being pulled up by the blonde, along with Alice. She lets us get our bags, then drags us out of the compartment. 

Once the door closes, Marlene sighs. "Sorry about that guys. I've heard about that boy's family before and it's no good. I had to leave. Fast."

"It's fine. You two go ahead and get changed. My robes are back with my brother. I'll meet you in the compartment." I start to walk the opposite direction as they head to the restrooms.

I try to remember which compartment Siri was in. I think it was... third from the front and on the left. Sure enough, when I got there, I heard yelling and laughing that could only be my twin and his new friends.

Sighing, I knock. The noise quiets down and the door slides open. I look up to see a boy who's at least 10 inches taller than me. 

"Can I help you?" I'm shocked by how polite he is, considering he's hanging out with my brother.

"Well, um... I just need to grab my robes from Sirius... and give him Corvina." I lift my shoulder, indicating the bird.

"Okay. Come in."

"Thanks," I murmur, going through the door.

"Hey, Scar!" God, Siri is loud. "What do ya need?"

"My robes and for you to put Corvina back in her cage. You can go back to hanging out, don't worry. I've managed to make friends."

"All right. Here." He rummages through his bag until he finds a neatly folded uniform.

"Thank you." I hand my raven to him gently, not wanting to scare the bird. " I'll see you in a while, okay?"

"Yep. Bye!" He's so hyper was the only thought going through my mind as I leave the boys. Honestly, I feel kinda rude for not acknowledging anyone else in there. Oh well...

 

I quickly change into my robes in the restroom, then return to the compartment where my friends were. I quickly slip inside. I had a feeling the train would stop shortly.

"I'm back," I say while sitting on the floor. 

"Hey, Scarlet. We should be there any minute." Lily's always so polite. 

Sure enough, a few minutes after, the train comes to a halt. This is it. I'm about to get off the train, enter a school, a make something of myself. Don't know what that something is, but it's there. 

We gather our stuff and leave the compartment with the rest of all the students. Lily's in front of me, Alice behind me. I stop and take a deep breath. My feet hit the sidewalk. I have just arrived at Hogwarts.


	3. Welcome to Hogwarts

We gather our stuff and leave the compartment with the rest of all the students. Lily's in front of me, Alice behind me. I stop and take a deep breath. My feet hit the sidewalk. I have just arrived at Hogwarts.

After standing there for longer than I thought I did, I pick up my bag to start looking for Sirius. Why does he never come when I'm waiting for him? Honestly... 

Trying to see above the ocean of heads wasn't really working for me. Being short really sucks sometimes. Oh well. Doing my best, I notice one of the boys my brother had shared a compartment with. Aha! I should be able to follow him and find Sirius. Squeezing through all of the people, I start to follow the boy. 

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!," A booming voice stops me and my mission. Deciding to change my course due to the fact that Sirius would (probably) go to where the first years are, I start to head over to where the large man calling us was. After struggling to get through all the people, I manage to make my way to the group of first years. There he is! I spot Sirius along with the three other boys standing near the back of the group

"C'mon, follow me-any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!" calls the half-giant.

We go down a narrow path without much lighting. I'm just waiting for me to face-plant. The only noise was coming from my brother and his group of friends.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."

Almost the whole group let out a loud gasp.

The view of the castle is absolutely stunning. The stars and the Black Lake made it look even more beautiful.

I decide to leave Sirius with his friends and go to find Lily and everyone else. They were near the front. Seriously? I manage to make my way forward and join my group. I realize that there are boats along the shore.

"No more'n four to a boat!," Hagrid called.

Lily, Alice, Marlene, and I all get in the same boat to head across The Black Lake. Ha! I even have a lake named after my family.

"Everyone in? Right, then-FORWARD!" Hagrid leads the way to the castle in his own personal boat.

All the boats start to move on their own. I glance at Lily and her face is filled with pure wonder and awe. Looking down at the rippling water surface, I realize that my face is looking similar to Lily's and the other girls.

"Heads down," calls Hagrid as we near the cliff. Almost in sync, we duck our heads down as we pass through a tunnel.

We reach an underground port then clamber out of the boats. Climbing up the stairs towards the door, I turn back to find my brother and end up almost tripping on a step. God, I'm such a clutz.

Hagrid raised his hand to the large door that the stairs lead to, and knocked three times. "'Ope you all 'ave a good time."

**Timeskip to the Dining Hall brought by Kreacher**

Along with all of the other first years, I had gathered in front of Professor McGonagall, her list of names, a stool, and a tatty old hat.

"Now," she calls, " you will be sorted into your houses. While you're here, your house shall be like your family. Any good behaviour shall gain you points. Any rulebreaking shall lead to a loss of points." At this, I sneak a look back at Sirius. "Whichever house has the most points wins the House Cup.

"When I call your name, please step forward to be sorted into your house. BLACK, NARCISSA!"

My cousin slowly walks up to where the Professor is and takes a seat on the stool. McGonagall places the hat on her head. A moment later, the hat shouts "SLYTHERIN!"

The table in green cheers as Narcissa walks towards it.

"BLACK, SIRIUS!"

My twin goes and saunters up with a smirk on his face and sits down. Wait, wasn't I suppose to go first? Weren't they calling the names in alphabetical order? Why aren't-

"GRYFFINDOR!" Murmurs fill the crowd as he walks off towards his table.

"A Black in Gryffindor?"

"That's unheard of!"

"Filthy blood traitor."

"QUIET! Now, BLACK, SCARLET!"

So my name does get called. I nervously walk up to the stool, no way near as confident as Siri. The hat gets placed on my head and is silent for a moment.

"What in the world do I do with you?" A voice suddenly appeared in my head and is talking to me. "An odd collection of Blacks this year... Better be-!"


	4. Better Be...

"What in the world do I do with you?" A voice suddenly appeared in my head and is talking to me. "An odd collection of Blacks this year... One that has amazing intelligence and cunningness and one that has a carefree soul and an extremely big heart. You could be sorted in a few different houses a fit in perfectly you know. Hmmmmm... Better be-!"

“RAVENCLAW!” the hat yells, rather loudly, and it bursts my eardrums. Ouch. I cover my ears from the noise as Professor McGonagall pulls the mouldy hat off my head. 

Numbly, I stand up and head to my table. During the short walk, I hear and see everyone whispering similar things they did when Sirius was sorted. Maybe not as bad, but you could easily tell that the Ravenclaw table wasn't too happy about having a Black in their midst. I wasn’t paying attention to any of the buzz going on around me. My own thoughts block it all out. 

What does everyone think? What do my friends think? Oh god, what if they hate me because they now know I’m a Black? How will Mother and Father react? Will they be more mad with me for getting into Ravenclaw then for Sirius getting into Gryffindor? What will they do to us this time? I flinch slightly at the thought, now terrified.

Reaching my table, I sit down at the very end, trying to stay away from the rest of my house. I hope Lily gets sorted into Ravenclaw too. I can still hear some gossip, even after others had been sorted. Not wanting to talk or eat, I pull one of my braids in front of my face and start playing with it. Just don't draw any attention to myself. If I do, nothing can go wrong. As long as I stay unnoticed, everything will be okay. 

"Lily Evans!" My head snaps up, and I see Lily walking towards the stool. As she sits down, she catches my eyes and smiles. Wait, you mean she still likes me? The hat gets placed on her head. She still wants to be my friend? Even though I'm a Black? The mouth of the hat starts moving, talking so quietly that only she can hear it. I think she might get sorted into Ravenclaw! The hat opens its mouth, about to announce Lily's house. Ravenclaw Ravenclaw Ravenclaw Ravenclaw Ravencl-

"GRYFFINDOR!" Lily's lips part in disbelief. My heart drops. No. God damn it, no. I watch as she walks over to the red-cloaked table. She sends a sad look in my direction as she sits down at her table. After that, I don't pay any attention to the rest of the ceremony. I just keep my head down and don't pay attention to the rest of the sortings and all the other people sitting down beside me. 

After about an hour the dinner is over and the prefects lead the first year of their house to the dormitories. I follow at the back of the group of the other first-year Ravenclaws. We're taken up to the fifth floor towards the west side of the castle. A coiled staircase leads up to a large door. There is no keyhole or handle. Just a large bronze knocker the shape of an eagle. 

The students all start to wonder how you would get through a door without a doorknob, myself included. The prefect just stands there, a slight smile on his lips, looking as if he's waiting for something to happen.

"If it's entrance that you seek, then these answers you must speak." The first row of students jump. The knocker had just talked. Talked. I was used to the world of magic, but this was pushing the weirdness. 

"Holy shit!" a boy at the front of the group exclaimed. 

"Language," the prefect says. "Anyway, as you heard, every time you want to get into the Ravenclaw dormitories, you must answer a riddle given by the knocker. I'll let you guys figure it out. Take it away, Phil."

"Phil?" the same boy asks. 

"Phil. He's been called that since before I came here. Don't question it. Never question Phil." He looks at the knocker expectedly.

"What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?" The words come out of the eagle's mouth, ending with a creak of the metal. 

I already know the answer, but decided to wait and see if anyone else will figure it out. Everyone looks puzzled, even after a few minutes. I sigh. Heads turn towards me. 

"What? Got something you want to say, Black?" a girl with dark skin and hair spits, clearly disliking me. 

"The letter 'M'. That's the answer. It's written once in 'minute', twice in 'moment', but not in the words 'a thousand years'." So much for lying low... I already have a hater. 

"Correct," the knocker, sorry, Phil stated. "You may now enter the Ravenclaw dormitories." The wooden door opens and we enter the common room. I could've sworn that Phil winked at me as I passed. 

The room is gorgeous. It has small bay windows all around the room with a seating space and royal blue curtains to separate the space from the rest of the room. The ceiling was domed and painted to look like the night sky. Nooks with bookshelves were placed in each quarter of the room. Bronze statues of eagles were placed at each doorway, as well as a large marble carving of Rowena Ravenclaw, the house founder. 

Plush couches, ottomans, and chairs were around the room, centred towards the roaring fireplace that was to the right of the doorway. Wooden tables and desks were closer to the walls on the other side of the room. Books, rolls of parchment, and quills were completely covering all of the tables, leaving no room to work. 

There are two stairways on each side of the room, leading up to what I could only guess to be the dormitories. As if he read my thoughts, the prefect goes and states: "the girl's dormitories are to the right and the boys to the left. You are on the second level of the towers. All of your belongings should be there in your alcove. No switching around sleeping arrangements. 

"Wake up is at 7:00. It only happens the first week, so you better get used to it. Washrooms and showers are on the first level. Get to know each other and get comfortable. There are no classes tomorrow. Good night and see you all in the morning."

None of us move, some taking in what he just said, some spaced out, and some still looking around the common room.

"Well then, off you go!" he shoos us away with his hands and we make our way to the stairways.

I'm slightly scared of being in the dorms with at least one girl that doesn't like me. Oh well. I'll just deal with it.


	5. Get Used to It

"Well then, off you go!" he shoos us away with his hands and we make our way to the stairways.

I'm slightly scared of being in the dorms with at least one girl that doesn't like me. Oh well. I'll just deal with it. 

The first girl, the one that doesn’t like me, enters the dorms talking loudly with the second girl. The one in front of me looks really uncomfortable, not knowing anyone else. I understand. At least you don’t have people hating you.

I enter the room, closing the door behind me. I'm instantly hit with a strong feeling of warmth. The large heater in the center of the room is blasting out the perfect amount of heat, making the temperature extremely comfortable. How nice. 

The rest of the room is almost as extravagant as the common room. Everything is meticulously placed for your convenience. The four beds are in small nooks in the wall, a window above each one. The beds curve slightly to fit with the rounded wall of the tower and there's a curtain separating the one open side of the bed from the rest of the room. The beds a lifted up off the ground slightly, allowing some storage space underneath. 

An oak wardrobe sits beside the head of the bed with deep drawers at the bottom and smaller closed shelves at the top, leaving a small counter for you can place any extra things. On the opposite side of the bed, there is a desk with a small plush stool and a shelf above it for books. Everything is spotless. There is no dust anywhere from the looks of it. 

"So... which bed does everyone want?" says the quiet girl. She seems like the type of person that doesn't want to make anyone mad and wants everyone to get along. Sadly for her, I don't think that's going to happen with me and the other girl in the same room. At least not for a while. 

"I don't care as long as I'm not next to the freak." Wow. Really throwing that shade. You don't even know me so you can shut your stupid mouth.

"Who said that I would want to be near you anyway?" I retort. 

"Is that so? You don't want to be near me? Perfect. I'll go closest to the doors and you can go on the opposite side. Does that suit your royal needs?" 

"My royal needs? What the hell are you talking about?" 

"Oh I'm sure that you know exactly what I'm talking about, " she sneers.

"Um... okay so you two will be on the two ends... where do you want to sleep?" the girl had been talking to bitchy there addresses the quiet girl. 

"Um, well... It seems like you and... I'm sorry, I don't know your name." 

"Lenora Crane." 

"Okay. Since you and Lenora seem to be friends, why don't you two sleep beside each other and I'll sleep beside..."

"Scarlet." 

"Scarlet. I'm Cadence" 

"Okay, it's all settled, then." We all grab our trunks from the middle of the room and bring them back to our assigned nooks as you could call them. By the time we get most of our stuff put away, the moon was already up in the sky and it was 8:53. Thank god, less time that I have to deal with other people. 

"So," says Lenora's friend, "I'm Elisa Hinde. My mom is muggleborn and my dad's pureblood. How about you guys?" 

"I'm muggleborn," says Cadence.

"You shouldn't say that around a Black," spits Lenora. "They only like and talk to purebloods. They think anyone who's not like them have filthy blood. I heard that they all know how to use-" 

"Shut the hell up!" That's it. I've had enough of her bullshit. "You don't know a god damn thing about me and my family! Find yourself some valid facts before you start making assumptions." 

"Oh trust me. I know these are real facts. My parents know exactly how your family acts. They're rude, propositions, stuck-up, assholes. You guys are insane! Do you know how many of your people have been sent to Azkaban? At least two dozen! I bet that you'll be the next criminal. What do you guys think?"

"I think that you need to shut your shitty ass mouth before I do it for you."

"Oh? Is that a threat? Maybe that will be the start of your criminal record. It'll start with assault, then slowly escalate to murder. I bet you like the sound of that, don't you Black?"

"I'm done listening to your shit." I walk out of the room shaking. I don't bother closing the door. Walking down the stairs, I can hear Elisa yelling at Lenora. I clench my fists. She's fine getting mad at her once I'm out of the room? Real cool. 

When I get roughly half way down the steps, tears are starting to form in my eyes. Why the hell am I crying? I don't want to. The older students don't need to know what had happened. It doesn't matter anyways.

I sigh. Stopping at the base of the stairs, I turn around. Each step back up feels heavy and difficult. I dry the tears in my eyes with the sleeve of my black robe. Black. To muggles, it's just a shade. A way to say someones skin colour. In the wizarding world, it has such a different meaning. It means evil, dark magic users. It means racist purebloods that hate everyone but themselves. And I have it as my last name. My life will always be tainted by that name. I hate it.

When I reach the closed doorway, I really don't to go back in, but there is nowhere else for me to go at the moment. Taking a deep breath, I push open the door. Pairs of eyes turn to me. Elisa gets up. "I'm really sorry that we didn't-"

"It's fine. I don't care anyway." I walk to my small alcove, grab one of the books from my desk, and sit on my bed. Waving my wand, I close the curtain of the bed and crack open the book. The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, was one of my favourites. I had managed to get it when I had snuck out of the house to the muggle book store. My parents wouldn't allow any muggle literature to go through the door if they had any say in it. This left me with the one option to sneak out. Thank goodness they hadn't found out. 

I felt a connection to the book. Like there was some string connecting my life to the story in the book. I'm not really sure why I feel that way but I do. 

You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it. Some of its quotes were exactly what everyone needed to hear.

Continuing to read, I hear a hush conversation between Elisa and Cadence. Probably trying to figure out what to with me and Lenora. They're going to need as many ideas as they can get. 

Time flies by and I start feeling my eyes start to droop. Today was extremely exhausting. As much as I want to continue reading, I know that I should go to sleep. I have classes tomorrow and I really don't want to make a bad impression on anyone else. 

I set my book down on the windowsill and draw open the curtains. Most of the candles had been blown out. Everyone had already gone to bed. I check my silver pocket watch. Almost 10. Great. Absolutely wonderful.

I slip on my slippers, grab my toiletries, and go down to the house lavatory. Once I finish my nightly routine, I head back to the dorm. I change into a grey nightgown and quickly braid my hair so it doesn't get to tangled while I sleep. I put out the candle that is placed on my desk and climb under the covers. The curtains on my bed are closed and the ones on my window are open.

"Please let tomorrow be better. Please," I whisper. "I'll do anything to have a good day tomorrow." Blowing out the candle on the windowsill, I slip off into an uneasy sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve created a discord chat for those who wish to join!
> 
> Link: discord.gg/qCAdfm


	6. New Day, Better Day. Right?

Sun hits my face and urges me to open my eyes. I blink and squint, attempting to remember where I was. Right; Hogwarts. After last night, it doesn't seem as great as it had before. 

Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I open the curtains and stand up. It's not until I reach over to the top of wardrobe to grab my watch that I realize that I'm covered in sweat. Shit. I had another nightmare. I hope it was a silent one. 

I shrug it off, my soul wish being that no one had woken up and heard me saying things. We don't need that. I check the time. It was just after 6, giving me plenty of time to get ready for classes. 

Following last night's routine in reverse, I freshened up and get dressed into my blue-accented uniform. I decide to have a shower to rinse of all the sweat that formed in the night. By the time I'm all done getting ready, it's 6:45. I take really long showers. 

I spend the next 30 minutes organizing and checking to make sure I have everything that I need for my classes. In this time, the female prefect had come to wake up the other three girls at exactly 7 o'clock. 

At about 7:20, we all got brought down to the common room to head out for breakfast. I'm standing awkwardly to the side of the group. I've only said good morning to the girls, but I don't want to interrupt their conversation. 

"Alright. If you want to eat today, stay with the group. If you don't, go ahead and wander off from the group. Your choice." The prefect doesn't need to explain anymore than he had. 

We all follow the group, me in the back again. Well, besides the prefect. I don't mind though. She doesn't try to make small talk to me, but doesn't neglect my existence either. 

We reach the hall and are greeted with loud voices, and plenty of people. I'm shocked by how many students are at Hogwarts when I finally take my eyes off the floor. I also realize that Ravenclaw was the last house to enter the hall, with five minutes to spare before breakfast was served. 

"Scarlet!" a voice calls, and I'm confused. Who would want to talk to me? Who would know me, other than Siri? I look in the direction of the voice that continues to repeat my name, and I see Lily, and Marlene waving me over. I feel my cheeks heat up with embarrassment. People are all looking at me. 

"You can go say hello to them, if you want," the prefect from behind me says. 

"Oh, um, okay," I stutter. Slowly heading over to the group, I can't help but smile slightly. Why they want me at their table, I have no clue, but I don't think they'll let me get away with not saying 'hi' to them. 

"Good morning!" Marlene says loudly. Alice gives me a small wave and Lily gestures for me to sit down beside her.

"Good morning everyone. Are you sure we're allowed to sit at other tables?" I question.

"I don't know, but I don't see why not." Marlene just shrugs, not really caring if it's a rule or not.

"It would make no sense to separate the houses even more," Lily inputs, clearly not okay with any rule breaking. "If it is a rule, I guess we'll all just have to hangout outside of classes."

"Yeah... at least we can do that." I take my place next to Lily just before the food gets placed on top of the table. It almost scares me how much food there is. 

"Holy shit!" a voice down the table exclaims. Of course. When I glance up to see who was being rather loud, I'm not surprised to see that it's Siri and his new friend James. 

"Oh god." I place my head in my hands and Lily glances over at me. 

"What? Are you okay? Wait, that boy with the long black hair, he's your brother right?"

"The one and only," he slides down the bench, bumping into me. "Were you ladies talking about me?"

"Actually yes, we were. About how embarrassing and dramatic you are." 

"You love me, Scar, admit it."

"Go away and let my friends and I eat." Sighing, I start to place food onto my place, taking extra of the pastries. 

"Oi, mate! Whatcha doin' down there! Come back and eat with us!" James calls. 

"All righty! See you Scar, ladies." He give one last charming smile at everyone before sliding back to his own group. 

"Thank Merlin," I mutter. Lily just laughs. "Anyway, who's the fourth person in your dorm? I wasn't really paying attention..."

"Oh, her name is Felicity King. She's nice enough. A little out of place, but nice. Speaking of her, where is she?"

"Over with a second year at the Hufflepuff table," Alice says, quietly like usual. 

"Okay. Just don't want her to get left out."

"What about you, Scar?" Marlene bursts in. "Whose all in your dorm? Any drama going on? Rivalry?"

"Um, actually, yeah..." I'm not happy that she asked this question, but I answer anyway. "A girl named Lenora Crane has a really big grudge against my family and, well wasn't being very nice to say the least. The other two, Cadence and Elisa seem okay though."

"I'm sorry to hear that Scar." Lily looks really concerned. "Anything we can do to help?"

"Sadly," I take a bit out of a danish, "no. Everyone is bound to have at least one enemy, right?" At least that's what I learnt in all the books I've read.

"Oh well. Let's just focus on having an awesome year!" Marlene exclaims. 

Our group is quiet for awhile well we take a break from talking to actually eat. The silence gets broken when the heads of the houses come to give us all our time tables. 

"Lily Evans, Marlene McKinnon, Alice Fortescue, and... Ms. Black? What are you doing at my table?" Professor McGonnagal in standing behind Alice and Marlene, looking down over her glasses at me. 

"Oh, um, are we, are we not able to sit at the other tables? I'm sorry, I'll just go and head-"

"It's quite alright. Don't worry, you're not in trouble for having friends in other houses." She hands three timetables to the three other girls. "I will inform Professor Flitwick that you are not at your house table."

"Thank you, Professor."

"Of course, Scarlet." With that and a small smile, she goes to continue handing out the rolls of paper. 

"Oh thank goodness we're able to eat together," Lily says as she pours herself another glass of juice. 

"What classes do you guys all have?" They're probably all together for the first few years. 

"We all have the same classes. Today we have Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and a double period of Transfiguration."

"Lucky. I hope to have a class with you guys at least once."

"Yeah, that would be great!"

"Oh! You will all have to be in the same class as the first year Gryffindor boys," I state. 

"You have got to be kidding me." We all look to Alice. I glance at Lily and Marlene and they both look just as shocked as me. 

"No! It's been one night and I've already corrupted our sweet little Alice!" Marlene dramatically cries. She then proceeds to pick up a butter knife and placed it over her heart. "I must perish if we want any hope of getting Alice back!"

Lily and I are giggling and Alice has a small smirk on her face. We're getting a few weird looks, but I decided to keep the joke going. 

"This is a tragedy! How could you do this to our sweet Alice? I'm devastated! Truly devastated! One simple night, and she's gone!" All four of us burst out laughing, Marlene being the loudest. 

"What in Merlin's name are you gals hooting about?!" We stop laughing, and turn towards Sirius. 

"I don't see how it is any of you business." Wow Lily, that's cold. Nice. 

"Come on, my darling Lilypad. We were just asking out of curiosity." There he goes. James Potter, the boy from the train car. 

"When did I ever give you the right to call me 'your darling Lilypad'?" Lily glares at him after mimicking the voice he used with her nickname. 

"Well, um, I don't need permission to give you a nickname!" James is clearly flustered by Lily's reaction. 

"I believe that you do, in fact, need Ms. Evans' permission before giving her a nickname. Otherwise it can be seen as bullying. Please keep that in mind Mr. Potter." Professor Flitwick appears behind us, holding a stack of timetables in his hands. "There you are, Ms. Black," he says, turning to me and handing me my timetable.

"Thank you Professor."

"Of course. Now, Mr. Potter if I hear anymore teasing or unapproved nicknames towards Ms, Evans, you will land yourself in detention, understood?"

"Yes, Professor..." James looks very crestfallen for a split second before going back to his cheery self. "So, are you ladies excited to share classes?"

"What classes do we have together, Scarlet?" Lily casually blocks out James like she's done it thousands of times. I bet she had last night. 

"None today, sadly," I reply as I compare our schedules. 

"Awe man, that sucks," Marlene complains loudly. 

"Yeah..." I'm really disappointed that we don't even have one class together on the first day. 

"I'm sure we'll see you plenty throughout the day though!" Lily's beaming with happiness. I remind myself that this will be her first full day engulfed in the magical world. I wish it was as good as she thought it was. 

"Screeeeeeeeeeeech." Owls start flooding through the windows, carrying all sorts of parcels. My stomach drops. I glance at Sirius and his face is just as white as I would think mine is. 

"Look! It's the mail!"

"I can't wait to hear how proud my parents are when they know I got sorted into Gryffindor!"

"I hope they sent me my favourite sweets!"

Exclamations and gasps fill the hall, and it starts buzzing with excitement. Owls swoop down over the tables, dropping letters and packages in front of the recipient.

After what felt like forever, our family owl comes and drops two letters; one in front of me and the other in front of Sirius. Howlers. Our mother sent us howlers. 

"Woah! You two got howlers! Your folks must be really excited with your sortings!" James has already torn open his letter and is now mowing down on some licorice wands from his parents. 

Sirius and I looked at each other and simultaneously grabbed our letters and our timetables, stood up, and started towards the exit of the hall. Luck wasn't on our side. Halfway down the aisle, Sirius' howler bursts open, and that shrilly voice hits my ears once again. 

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK! HOW DARE YOU GET SORTED INTO GRYFFINDOR! YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO ALL OF OUR FAMILY! I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE DISAPPOINTED! YOU ARE NOTHING. DON'T EVEN THINK OF STEPPING ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE!" 

The letter stops, and tears itself apart. I look at Sirius. His fists are clenched and his eyes are threatening to spill tears. He turns to me, and I know what he wants. So I open my letter. 

"My dear Scarlet; how are you liking Hogwarts so far? I don't care, but I can pretend, right? Anyway, you did not get sorted into Slytherin, like it was required. You will be punished, but not as severely. Ravenclaw is acceptable. Gryffindor is not." Her voice changes to a threatening tone. "I swear if you get anymore outlandish ideas, you won't live to see the next day. I expect both of you home for the holidays. I already have your gifts. Good bye."

My letter does the same as Sirius' did. I raise my head and see the entire school has stopped and is looking at the situation that just happened. Even the ghosts. Without a second thought, I grab Siri's hand and run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **authors note**  
> i know i suck. trust me. but instead of being stuck on writing longer chapters for months, i've decided to write shorter chapters within less time so i don't leave you hanging. i have no excuses. i just lack a lot of motivation. anyway, i hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> lots of love,  
> Jules

**Author's Note:**

> Authors Note
> 
> Hi guys, this is my first fanfiction and I hope you guys like it! All feedback is welcome! Also, if there is no P.O.V at the start of the page it means it's Scarlets P.O.V. Thanks!
> 
> -Juliette Silvers


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